The wood, to be exported to Scandinavia by Eco Sustainable Solutions of Dorset, caught fire yesterday evening (January 13) on a concrete base site on the quayside at the King George V Dock.
While the docks belong to Associated British Ports (ABP), the quayside side is operated by Solent Stevedores.
Describing it as a “minor incident”, a statement from Solent Stevedores said that the company initiated an “established accident and emergency procedure” and that the cause was the “suspected self-combustion of part of a wood chip pile leading to minor smouldering”.
A tugboat sprayed water onto the pile and Solent Stevedore’s own fire vehicles also tackled the blaze. The Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service attended but did not get involved, being “satisfied the incident was under control”.
Fire protection
Solent Stevedores explained that the affected site “is self-contained with isolated drainage and local fire protection systems in place. The affected area occupies part of a larger site governed by an Environment Agency permit held by Solent Stevedores.”
The statement added that there were no reported injuries and there was no danger to surrounding equipment or property.
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Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Trelawney Dampney, managing director of Eco Sustainable Solutions said: “Our emergency plann kicked in really well and Solent Stevedore’s acted swiftly in line with procedures. Stocks at Southampton are within the Solent Stevedore’s licence and they will be reduced over the next few weeks as ships come in to collect the wood. We will be loading one ship tomorrow.”
The wood recycling sector is gearing up in 2015 to meet new requirements to help prevent fires at wood waste storage sites. Mr Dampney said “We welcome the new guidance and will be responding in a favourable manner.”
And he predicted that while the sector as a whole will need time to adjust to the new requirements, which include guidance on stack separation and other technical points, changes will be made.
But, he warned that the additional costs, such as for leasing extra land, could see gate fees for the material increase.
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